MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Only the country’s president can define Russia’s foreign policy, regional leaders do not have such powers, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday, commenting on a recent message by Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov to French President Emmanuel Macron to "stop his attacks against the faith."
“You know that our legislation provides for the dominant role of the president in setting the country's foreign policy. Regional leaders cannot engage in foreign policy, much less shape foreign policy, nor do they define it, or make any decisions,” Peskov emphasized.
"That is why one should be guided precisely by the line shaped by the head of state," he urged.
On October 20, Macron warned that the French authorities "will commence active fight against adherents to extremist ideology and associations created by them." This happened in the wake of the October 16 murder of a teacher who showed Charlie Hebdo’s caricatures of Prophet Muhammad to schoolchildren. Macron’s remark made at the teacher’s memorial service, including his promise to continue to publish caricatures of the Prophet, sparked an outrage. Kadyrov on his Telegram channel wrote that Macron knew perfectly well that this hurts the believers and urged him to "stop his attacks against the faith."